A July 2, 2014 New York Times blog post reported that a new study from Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience found that "even moderate amounts of physical activity may help to slow the progression of one of the most dreaded diseases of aging." According to the article, "In effect, the brains of physically active volunteers at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease looked just like the brains of people at much lower risk for the disease, said Stephen M. Rao, an associate professor at the Schey Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging at the Cleveland Clinic, who oversaw the study. Exercise appeared to have been protective."

A July 1, 2014 Bright Focus Foundation blog post highlighted a June congressional briefing focused on the "urgency of the Alzheimer’s disease crisis" organized by USA2, LEAD, Bright Focus and others. According to the post, "Stacy Haller described how early-stage basic research is bringing us closer to a cure, and why we need a sustained national commitment to scientific discovery…She reminded the audience that scientists are very concerned about budget cuts and the future of research. She closed with a question. “We have reason for hope that there is a cure out there for Alzheimer’s. But what if—because we failed to fully fund a true national commitment—we never found it?”"

International

A July 1, 2014 The Japan Times article reported on Japan's growing dementia burden. According to the article, "An estimated 4.62 million people in Japan are suffering from the degenerative disease, while 4 million others have “mild cognitive impairment,” a condition likely to progress to full-blown dementia, according to a 2013 study commissioned by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry...The National Police Agency said last month that 10,332 dementia patients were reported as missing in 2013, up 715 from the year before."

A July 1, 2014 The Times of Israel article reported that researchers have found that "Brain hyperactivity caused by protein binding may be important factor in disease’s development." According to the article, "The research shows how a molecular mechanism involving proteins interferes with brain neuron function and shifts them into dangerous overdrive. The discovery gives researchers a clue towards solving the Alzheimer’s puzzle, according to Dr. Inna Slutsky of TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience."

Why 2020?

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has retained its goal of stopping Alzheimer’s by 2020 rather than endorsing the goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease that calls for preventing and effectively treating the disease by 2025. While we support the national plan and its goals, we believe, as most every family touched by Alzheimer’s disease believes, that preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025 is simply too long a wait for concrete progress. There are promising avenues of drug discovery and development that will, if successful, deliver a means of slowing or deferring Alzheimer's symptoms by 2020. By voicing the urgency felt by so many families, we will pressure researchers and industry to do all in their power to make that happen.